Honor Bound
by gemsofformenos
Summary: Hei-Ran wakes up in a tent after being poisoned. She is so happy and relieved to see her daughter at her side, but shame and guilt are crawling back to her, when she demands answers from Rangi about the last events. !Warning! This story contents spoilers about some events from the book especially the fates of some of the characters. I strongly recommend to read the book


**Hello Everybody. I have finished 'The Rise of Kyoshi' today and what should I say except that I was so impressed. The book is awesome in my opinion and all I can do is to recommend anyone, who likes the Avatar universe to take a closer look at it and to read it. It is such an amazing work in my opinion and I'm looking forward for the next one. **

**Since this book has hit my own taste so much, I have written a little One-Shot for Rangi and Hei-Ran, I hope all of you will have a lot of fun with it. ******Since there is no new category here on , I have posted this one in the AtLA section, but in case a new section would be opened one day, I will move this fic to the proper section.****

****!Warning!****

****This story contents spoilers about some events from the book especially the fates of some of the characters. I strongly recommend to read the book first, in case you won't have spoiled some of them. So last chance to stop reading.****

**Disclaimer: I do not own Avatar: The Last Airbender or The Rise of Kyoshi**

* * *

**Honor Bound **

It was a tickling sensation at her hand she noticed first. A repetitive stroking, careful almost hesitant, like someone was afraid to break her hand like it was made of delicate porcelain. For a while it was the only sensation she felt and she wasn't even sure, if this touch was real or not. But it had to be real, because at some point she noticed little sobs from time to time. Sharp inhaled little breaths she hasn't heard since a long time, but so well known to her. It stung in her heart, burning with pain and misery, but at the same time it let it make somersaults, awaking the urge to scream out her joy and relief, to jump up to hold and kiss the source of these grieving sounds with all her love.

It was then, when she noticed how real this sensation was, because she noticed, that she wasn't able to do so. Her body, always in perfect shape, trained and cultured to be an outstanding example of the finest attributes a firebender should have, failed her. It failed her at the simplest task, to open her eyes to see, what other sensations have already proven to her.

Every try to move, to turn the head, to raise a finger, to give a single sound or even to just open the eyes, at least for a short moment sent and agonizing pain trough her whole body. She noticed, that her tongue was dry and swollen, but somehow it felt sticky and sluggish in her mouth at the same time. Her muscles and joints were aching and her head was swimming in a sickening pain, pulling and pulsing in a tranquilizing and torturing rhythm, which was calling her towards a sweet and promising blackness in the back of her mind. But what frightened her most was the sudden awareness of how cold she felt inside. She was freezing, terribly.

And so she focused on the one thing, she could start with, her breath and the comforting touch on her hand. Her training, her discipline and her experience would help her through. Patience and discipline would help her to reach her goal and so she focused on the essential thing a firebender had to learn.

Breathing.

In and out.

Deep and controlled breaths, using the stomach and not the chest.

Creating a rhythm, which could fuel the inner fire, which would level everything step by step, the heartbeat, the flow of her own energy, the pains, the fears and emotions.

And so time went by, while she was simply focused on her breath. It seemed to her like eternity, but she would have waited an second one, if it would help her, but finally she managed to feel her flame again, but her fire was weaker, flickering like a dying flame in the dark. It was sending a shiver through her body, recognizing how low it was burning, but the soothing strokes at her hand lent her strength, fueled her with love and hope and so slowly, terribly slowly the flame started to burn warmer and stronger again. It was far from the immense power she used to have, but it was enough to drive away the sharpest edge of the freezing cold in her limbs.

The person beside her had noticed the rise of temperature, because the stroking was suddenly replaced by a firmer grip on her hand and the crying had stopped. She could feel the tension growing and it was enough to shake even her focus. She was holding a breath.

"Mom?"

It was like a warm summer rain, soothing and refreshing. At this moment she didn't care about the lack of formality, which would have addressed the word 'mother' as the suitable salutation. It was the final spark she needed to fight successfully against the weakening pain.

Hei-Ran opened her eyes and met the red cried ones of her daughter, who had pulled her mothers hand to her chest. So much fears and hope laid in her daughters face at this moment, but all of this didn't matter. She was alive. Her daughter was alive and well.

"Rangi..."

Hei-Ran could see the tension falling off from her daughter, as the young bender started to cry uncontrollably, wrapping her arms carefully around the weak body of her mother, burring her face in the crook of the woman's neck. It took Rangi some time to recognize, that her mother failed to return the hug, so she carefully placed the womans arms on her back and cried even more as Hei-Ran started to stroke it with weak motions of her fingers.

The warm love, offered by her daughters hugs, kisses and tears finally gave her enough strength to move her hands towards Rangi's dark hair to fondle her head. But suddenly she stopped, as she recognized the short fuzz on her daughters head, where her top knot should have been. Instantly Rangi stiffened in her arms and stopped crying. Her daughter pulled back from Hei-Ran, her eyes filled with deepest shame.

"I failed you mother. I failed to protect the Avatar. I was weak and got captured."

She turned away in shame.

"I failed to protect you. Our Family. Our honor. I left you behind."

To see how deep this shame was rooted, to see how it was eating up her beloved daughter was hurting more than any pain her body felt right now. She managed to articulate a question.

"Who… has done this to you?"

The tears, which were now in Rangi's eyes were sending a hot prickle down her mother's spine. Whoever was responsible for this would have to face her wrath in full. As more her daughter's answer hit her like a cold shower.

"Jianzhu. He captured me. He has done this to me."

Rangi still wasn't looking at her mother. Her voice was only a hollowed whisper.

"He has done this to you."

Her weakness was the only thing, which stopped Hei-Ran from an anguished scream. Pure and hot rage was burning in her like an blazing inferno and no training in the whole world would have been able to hold it back right now, but her pains and weakness were. She felt tears prickling in her eyes.

"Tell me everything."

Rangi turned her tear-soaked face back to her mother and shock and worries were in it.

"But you need rest and..."

Pure will and determination managed to win the struggle with her pains and her disobeying body.

"Rangi. Tell. Me. Everything."

Hei-Ran's face was hard as stone and the pale hue of her skin somehow increased this image. Mother and daughter stared at each other for some painful long seconds, before the young bender bowed in respect. Rangi took lotus seat beside her and was about to start, when she felt her mothers hand resting in her lap. It elicited a warm smile from her and she took it again and started to stroke the pale back of her mothers hand, while she started to tell her, what has happened.

* * *

Hei-Ran was finally alone as she dared to let her tears fall freely. She has failed. Totally.

She has failed to prepare Kuruk for his burden as an Avatar. The result was an early death of her friend and a world in trouble without an trained Avatar to handle the task of keeping balance and peace.

She has failed Yun, who wasn't the Avatar, but who was her student. She wasn't there to protect him and give him strength and guidance as he needed her. He was a good boy, a huge talent and a friend. She had let him down.

She has failed the Avatar. She hasn't noticed the Avatar all these years, hasn't noticed, that she tried to teach a boy firebending, who wasn't able to do so. She has deprived the real Avatar years of training to prepare her for the duties she had to fulfill.

She has failed Kelsang, who has seen long ago, who the real Avatar was. She has failed to aid her friend, to protect him, as he noticed the cruelty from Jianzhu, but underestimated what her former friend would be capable to do.

She has failed to see into Jianzhu's soul. Failed to notice the darkness within, how he was reducing lives and fates down to a simple calculation, caging out any sort of humanity. They all have been stones on a Pai Sho board for him in a game for power and influence to shape his idea of balance in this world.

But worst of all she has failed as a mother. She has failed Rangi, the light of her life. She has made her fear, she would have listen to Jianzhu instead at her own daughter. She has given her the feeling she would disgrace herself by fulfilling her duty with honor, that she wouldn't believe her. She has made her believe, she would have disgraced herself and her family by leaving her behind to fulfill the oath she had sworn.

How could she had all of this let happened?

How could she have let down so many people?

How could she have forced her daughter and the Avatar into pacts with disgraceful persons, pushed into disgraceful actions, which have stained the reputation of both?

How could she have failed herself and her own expectations so badly?

She has allowed to pile up a huge mess and burden for the new Avatar and has thrown her deep into this mess, unprepared and without the training and education she needed.

She had allowed Jianzhu to destabilize the Earthkingdom gravely at his try to maintain power and influence, leaving an damaged authority of the Avatar behind, who would be constantly questioned and offended for her actions and who would now have great issues to maintain balance and order.

And she would fail Kyoshi and Rangi again, because of her carelessness, blindness and weakness. She had seen the looks, both have shared, as Kyoshi has entered her tent. There was a certain fire in the eyes of both as their looks have met. A fire she had seen in Kuruk's years ago. A fire which would fight with the obligation of a noble family like hers to have an heir one day to maintain the bloodline.

But how could she let them down again in this case because of this, when she has failed them at so many occasions before? She was already the reason to tear them apart for an unknown time, because of her weakness. She had heard Rangi's struggled voice before the tent, as she had told Kyoshi, that she would bring her to the North Pole for a full recovery and that she had no clue how long it would take. She had heard her beloved daughter say, that she couldn't let her down again. She wanted to scream at her, that she hasn't let her down at all, but she knew her proud daughter wouldn't accept this point of view.

So here she was, the honorable Hei-Ran, deep down in the mess of her own failure, pulling her daughter away from the person she loves and from the oath she had sworn.

She looked at the palm of her right hand and it cost her almost all of her strength to lighten up a weak flame on it. The poison had almost killed her and she could feel, how it has weakened her body and her bending. Hei-Ran considered it as a fitting punishment for her failure, but there was still one thing left to do. She could feel her body protesting in pain at any movement of her, but she endured the pain as she used her left hand to get a grip at all of her long hair. She pulled it out underneath her head, like she wanted to form a long pony tail.

Hei-Ran forced herself to stop crying. She had cried enough over her own faults and her face turned into an emotionless mask, pale and cold. The firebender brought the burning flame towards her hair and she closed her eyes in shame, as she started to smell the biting sent of her burned strains, while she cut off her long hair with her fire. She trembled heavy, as she brought her left hand before her face, forcing herself to watch the smoking, curled-molten ends of her long strains. She would shave her head bald as soon as she would be able to do so.

It would take years until her hair would have reached its former length.

In case she would allow it to grow so long ever again.

Hei-Ran wasn't so sure about it. It has been her fault, not Rangi's. She was the shame of her family, not her daughter. She wouldn't allow her hair to grow again. Not until this shame would be purged.

In case this could ever be possible.


End file.
